Groupon's Most Successful Deal Uncovered by Harvard Business Review

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You're not alone. In the current issue of the Harvard Business Review, data scientist Paul Butler crunched the numbers and uncovered some interesting trends in how the daily deals shake out in the long view.

Among his findings: Major organizations don't necessarily assure results (the MLB couldn't generate much interest in $50 for 30 days of premium mlb.tv service), the average Groupon costs $34, and "coupons that offer $50 worth of merchandise for $25 at retail outlets often perform exceptionally well."

That last factoid right there should probably wrestle loose some memories you have about Groupon's biggest hit: November 24, 2010's nation-wide "$25 for $50 worth of shoes, apparel, and more at Nordstrom Rack." That shouldn't come as a shock, as that deal infamously crashed Groupon's site. The triple whammy of it being at that sweet spot for value, offered on Thanksgiving day before Black Friday, and recommended by Oprah didn't hurt, either.

Read more of Butler's findings over at the Harvard Business Review -- just be warned it takes a few moments to acclimate your eyes to the initially confusing chart.